The Panthers and Rock Hill had a lot happen this week. Here’s what you may have missed
.JPG "The construction entrance to the Carolina Panthers headquarters and training facility that were being built in Rock Hill, S.C.")
We’ve been leading the coverage of what’s happening between the Panthers and the city of Rock Hill.
On Tuesday morning, the David Tepper’s real estate holding company terminated its agreement with the South Carolina city 30 miles south of uptown Charlotte. That news story has been one of our most well-read articles this month.
While many have speculated that this could be a negotiating tactic to get a sweeter deal, a source with direct knowledge of the Panthers’ decision told our Scott Fowler on Thursday that isn’t the case. The project is “dead,” they said, and Tuesday’s statement from the holding company “was the obituary.”
South Carolina governor Henry McMaster was in Fort Mill, S.C., on Thursday and was asked about the project. He contends that the state has upheld its part of the agreement — which includes building an interchange of Interstate 77 that leads directly to the facility — but said most of what he knows about what’s happening has come from the newspaper. (Thanks for supporting local journalism!)
“I think most of us are disappointed that the Panthers won’t be a part of this great, booming economy that we have in South Carolina,” McMaster said Thursday evening. “That’s a disappointment.”
Where do the Panthers go from here?
In the immediate future, nowhere. The Panthers will continue to operate out of Bank of America Stadium, as they have for the past 25 years. Training camp will take place at Wofford College, as it was planned to do, and will likely be held there until at least 2025. The plan was to move training camp to Rock Hill in 2023.
What’s interesting about Tepper’s decision to pull out of Rock Hill (well, a lot is interesting, but you may not know about this part), is that Congress introduced new legislation in February that would prevent professional sports teams from using public bond money to pay for new stadiums. Observer reporter Ellis Williams spoke with the chief of staff of one of the congressmen sponsoring that bill, who confirmed it also applies to training facilities like what the Panthers hope to build. You can read the full No Tax Subsidies for Stadiums Act (H.R.6806) here.
That bill hasn’t been passed yet. It has to be approved by the House before making its way to the Senate, but if it does, then new hurdles will be in place for Tepper to try and build a team headquarters.
— Matt L. Stephens, Sports Editor
Who’s to blame between the Panthers and Rock Hill?
We’re polling our readers to ask who shoulders most of the blame in this situation. Is it the Panthers? Is it Rock Hill? Are both sides at fault? We’d like to know your thoughts in our survey.
Some stories from this week on the Rock Hill saga you may have missed ...
+ How did we get here? A timeline on the Panthers project in Rock Hill as contract ends
+ Rock Hill-Panthers development pause has people, businesses in SC’s York county worried
+ Panthers-Rock Hill stalemate: What we know about the deal
